Blue
by Laurelli
Summary: She'd been out celebrating her best friend's birthday, and then everything changed with a flash of blue. Now she's surrounded by people who believe they're the Avengers. It's official, she was dreaming. Right?


AN: Just something I thought of.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. Any resemblance to a real person is completely coincidental and accidental.

* * *

Prologue

It was late evening on a fairly warm spring night that raucous laughter rang loudly throughout the streets of Stuttgart, Germany. A small group of people stumbled down the steps of one of the grander stone buildings on the street, where loud music and partying could be heard. They stumbled across the courtyard and finally stopped just beside the road, where half of them collapsed in a fit of laughter.

Well, all but one stumbled.

"Shut up, guys, this isn't funny." A tall ginger in a teal cocktail dress hissed at the others. "This is what happens when you get drunk off your face!"

"Oh, shut up Tani." A short brunette in pink slurred at her. "It's my birthday, I can do what I want."

"Including get thrown out of your own party, apparently. Did you see the security guards face? He was furious!" Tani reprimanded them, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. "There's having fun, and then there's being stupid, Sharna."

"Poop." Sharna eloquently spat back at her, and fell giggling against the other girls, heedless of the dirt getting on her dress. "Party pooper."

"Well, sorry for keeping my head in a country I know nothing about and don't speak the language!" Tani shot back throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. She shook her fringe out of her eyes as she crossed her arms. "If it wasn't for me, I doubt you'd make it back to your hotel room."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Sharna waved her off and fiddled with her necklace, where a tiny blue cube sparkled in the dim light. "Oh, Melanie! Have I told you _all_ about my new necklace?"

"No?" Melanie slurred in response.

"Well, I should." Sharna stated firmly. The others fell silent finally, eagerly watching the birthday girl as they waited for the story. "It's a birthday present from my Grandma. She said a - a thousand years ago! A thousand years ago, Gods gave it to my family! She said it grants wishes but because so many of my ants-ans- relatives wished for stuff, there's only one wish left. That's why it's so tiny, see?"

She held the necklace up to show off the pendant, and the other girls cooed at it. Tani rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Your Grandma's a kook Sharna, and everyone knows it." She shot. Sharna sat up straight and glared at the sober woman with flashing eyes.

"Don't you talk about my Grandma that way, bitch!" She screeched at the ginger before trying to lauch herself at the other woman. Tani merely took a step to the side and let Sharna fall flat on her face. Tears welled up in the brunettes eyes, and she stared accusingly at the teal-clad woman. "I-It's my birthday, and you're being _mean_!"

She let out a loud wail, gaining the attention of the other girls who glared at Tani and the curiosity of a few partiers inside, who poked their head out before retreating back into the party. Tani rolled her eyes and sighed in resignation.

"Oh for - look, I'm sorry Sharna." Tani crouched down beside the morose woman and rubbed her back consolingly, wrinkling her nose at the foundation that rubbed off on her hand. _Are you supposed to wear foundation on your back?_ "I shouldn't have said that about your Grandma, or made you upset on your birthday."

"But you meant every word!" Sharna wailed. She sat back on her heels and looked up at the taller woman with watery eyes. Her mascara ran as a large tear rolled down her face. "I know you did. My Grandma's not a kook! She told me the truth! My necklace really _does_ give wishes."

She wailed some more as Tani tutted. "Of course, sweetie."

She crooned softly in reassurance and offered the upset woman a handkerchief that she fished out of her purse. Sharna pushed it away and shot to her feet faster than Tani thought she could, a feat which probably would have been impossible for the drunk woman five minutes ago. Tani slowly stood up as well, staring unsurely at the brunette.

"I'll prove it!" Sharna yelled at her. "Catanya Evans, I wish you were so far away from this world, there wouldn't be a chance in Hell of ever seeing you or your face again!"

"What-" Tani stepped back in surprise and trepidation, but nothing happened. Sharna stood, glaring at her and huffing in anger as she waited, only to wail in despair as nothing happened.

"I never want to see your face again!" She screamed. Sharna roughly pushed Tani away from her and turned away, sniffling. Tani staggered back unsteadily in her heels.

A streetlight flickered a short distance away, and the music from the building behind her seemed to disappear. The titters of the girls behind Sharna warped and distorted as the group grew fuzzy, and she reached out to grab hold of Sharna's silky pink cocktail dress. Her eyes caught sight of the tiny pendant around Sharna's neck, which seemed to be flickering with an inner flame before it disappeared completely.

She had half a second of confusion before blue fire engulfed her, and she screamed.

Sharna jumped and turned at the sound in confusion, staring in shock at the space where her best friend had been. There was nothing left except the handkerchief which she had so rudely pushed away mere moments ago.

"...Tani?" She murmured in anxiety, and felt the small chain around her neck. She couldn't feel the cubic pendant nestled in the dip of her collarbone, and her anxiety changed into panic as she dropped to her knees and scrambled around, looking for the small glittering cube. "Nonononononono. No, please no."

She prayed as tears filled her eyes again and she searched in desperation, hoping beyond all hope that her Grandma really was just a kook. Just this once.

The glittering cube was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Iron Man wasn't feeling particularly charitable when he leveled all his weapons at the fallen form of Loki. What he really wanted to do was blast the man into a million tiny pieces, and prayed the 'God' would be difficult. "Your move." He grunted out.

Loki was inwardly smirking as he allowed his armour to fade away into his casual clothing and raised his hands in surrender. The fools were playing right into his trap, and right now Agent Barton was escaping with the component needed to bring his army into this world. Iron Man reluctantly powered down and nodded curtly.

"Good move." He stated flatly as Captain America came to stand beside him.

A flash of blue light that was extremely familiar to the God of Mischief appeared between the three, separating Loki from the two Avengers. Iron Man powered up all his weapons again in hope that the God had tried something, but he hadn't moved.

As quickly as it had appeared the light vanished, leaving behind a small pillar of blue flames that died out almost immediately, and a woman fell from it. The first thing he noticed was the ginger hair and teal cocktail dress, and his heart leapt with fear as the word 'Pepper' came to mind. But no, Pepper was safely away in DC, wasn't she? And Happy was looking after her.

The second thing he noticed, rather belatedly, was that she had fallen. Right into the bewildered arms of Loki.


End file.
